Titan Submersible Tragedy: Netflix Faces Backlash Over Trailer Of New Documentary, Users Say 'Epic Timing'

Online streaming platform Netflix received backlash on Monday after it released a trailer of a new documentary, the theme of which did not sit too well with people on social media amid the news of Titan submersible. The new film, titled ‘The Deepest Breath’, is about the sport of freediving and traces the life of world record holder Alessia Zecchini.

The trailer was shared on June 20. Social media users criticised Netflix saying the streaming giant chose a bad time to promote the freediving documentary while a massive search was underway to find the missing Titan submersible, which ultimately suffered a catastrophic implosion, killing all five onboard. 

Freediving is a form of underwater diving that relies on natural breath-holding until resurfacing, as opposed to using a breathing apparatus like in scuba diving.

The trailer features heavy breathing sounds and talks about “extreme consequences” of the extreme sport, even showing a diver being resuscitated in one of the scenes.

“Not sure this is the best show to advertise during the Titanic submarine thing,” said a user, replying to the trailer on Twitter. “Wow epic timing, and not in a good way. Who decided this was going up,” asked another.

A third user asked the streaming giant to “read the room”, while others shared memes about the timing of the announcement.

Notably, Zecchini set a women’s world record earlier this year with a free dive reaching 107 metres.

Currently, an investigation is going on to look into the details of the implosion of the submersible near the wreckage of Titanic in the North Atlantic. Killed in the implosion were Stockton Ruch, CEO of Oceangate Expeditions, the company that owned and operated the Titan; Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, members of one of Pakistan’s wealthiest families; British adventurer Hamish Harding; and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet.